Lugaw: a comfort food for everyone By GAMSON JR MAWALLIL QUIJANO In the ongoing ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) in the “National Capital Region + bubble” due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, “lugaw is essential” became viral on social media and Filipino netizens worldwide reacted in many different ways to this trending topic. I would like to share my own story related to this matter. “Lugaw” or “mistang” to us in Tausug, is always present on our table during the breaking of fasting in the month of Ramadhān. Since I started to fast, this has been what my family eats to break our more than ten hours of fasting. It’s a long day on an empty stomach, so this comfort food is light on the stomach and it helps us feel a bit warmer inside, as well. It is worth remembering that during my college days at the Universidad de Zamboanga, almost every day except weekends, we would cook this food during Ramadhān inside the premises of our university. Of course, with the permission of the universit
Ramadhan 1442H By GAMSON JR MAWALLIL QUIJANO The sounds of banging, cracking and grating coconuts in the early hours of the night during Ramadhān are invigorating and are one of my best childhood memories. This coconut is used for “sabaw maimu’” or sweetened soup, which is common for the old folks, especially for pre-dawn meals during Ramadhān. As our neighbors prepared their food as well, the same sounds resonated with them. It makes me nostalgic to remember the time when, as we ate our predawn-meal, we could hear the call of our neighbouring masājid resounding throughout our place. “Bati’ na kamu! Bati’ na kamu! Sahur! Sahur! (Wake up! Wake up! It’s time for pre-dawn meal). This practice is common in some Muslim-dominated communities during the whole month of Ramadhān to awaken and remind people to prepare and take their pre-dawn meal so that they cannot be reached by the Fajar time. While I could not fast yet because I was still a child then, my elders would let me join them to e